What If
by Ancient85
Summary: A new CSI arrives at the lab bringing memories of a former CSI with her. Will her arrival open up new wounds?
1. Chapter 1

**This is another old story of mine that I decided to post. I really don't know what season to actually pass this in but I know that it is sometime after the episode "Cool Change". Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the characters that I create.**

**What if?**

_How can I look myself in the mirror when I see so much of you in it? I was not there with you when it happened. The pain…I felt it…I could see you struggling but there was nothing I could have done….that's what they tell me 'Don't punish yourself you couldn't have prevented it' But I know what I felt, you were in pain and I was miles away. I vowed to protect you and I failed. I could have convinced you not to go to stay with me. You always wanted to please others …and now I have to live with the what ifs, what if I had gone with you would you have been safe, what if I convinced you to make yourself happy would you still be here today?_

Las Vegas Crime Lab

It was another night in the Sin City. The night shift gathered in the breakroom for their assignments.

"Do you know where I can find a Gil Grissom?" asked a young woman. The woman stood there waiting for a reply from the entomologist who was deep in thought.

"That would be me," replied a very distracted Grissom.

"Good I wouldn't want to be lost on my first day" Grissom finally looks up after hearing what she just said. "Holly?"

"If Grissom isn't coming I guess we have the night off" joked Nick.

"Nice try, Nick" Sara said as she poured herself another cup of coffee.

"I hope Grissom gets here soon I would like to spend some time with my daughter."

"You know Griss, he likes to take his time" stated Warrick.

"Hi. I'm new here. You guys must be the famous night shift I heard so much about."

They turn to the doorway to find a young woman standing under it with a file in hand.

"Holly!" they all, except Sara, say in unison. "Actually my name is Hailey. Hailey Gribbs. Holly was my sister."

"I see you met Hailey" replied Grissom as he begins to hand out assignments. "Nick and Sara, you guys got an arson down in UNLV, frat house."

"Must have been some party" "Like you know about parties, Sara." "I've gone to a few parties, Nick." Sara says as she and Nick leave.

"Catherine, Warrick, we got a robbery turn murder down at the Monaco." They file out of the breakroom.

"And what do I get, Mr. Grissom?" questioned Hailey. "You get to stay here at the lab," said Grissom as he walks out of the breakroom. 'Great. First day on the job and I spend it in the lab.' Hailey thought 'a tour around the lab wouldn't hurt'

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UNLV:

"So what do we got here?"

"The officer said that the fire was called in about two hours ago. By the time they came it was a pile of ash," replied Sara as she pulled over a piece of burnt wood "Jackpot!"

"What did you find?" "This." Sara points to a gasoline tank, "someone wanted to bring the house down."

"I think its bringing down da house."

"Isn't that a movie?"

"And here I thought you didn't go to the movies."

-----

Monaco Casino

"Guess the guy didn't want to give up his winnings" stated Warrick.

"How much did the guy win?" questioned Catherine.

"Half a million. On the slots alone. Jackpot winner."

"Man that's luck."

"And his luck ended the minute his life did" declared Grissom as he took a look at the body.

"I'm going to question the maid that found him," stated Catherine. She walks over to a young maid that stood in the doorway with her arms crossed.

"Warrick…"

"Way ahead of you. I'll take the cameras." Warrick leaves the room.

"So you knocked on the door and came in when no one answered?"

"Yes, then I called the police."

"You didn't see anyone enter or exits this suite?"

"All I saw, was Ted enter his room then he was on the floor when I came in to clean."

"Ted? Do you know this man? Personally, I mean." Watches the girl become uneasy.

"Not too well, I just met him. He introduced himself when I gave him some towels earlier."

"Ok thank you." Catherine walks back to Grissom who is inspecting a piece of evidence.

"What do you got there, Griss?" "A fiber."

"The maid is hiding something."

"You think the maid did it?"

"It's in every murder mystery." Grissom just looks at her as he bags the evidence.

**Thats all for now. Please review and let me know that someone other than myself reads it. **

**Until then, Ancient 85.**


	2. Chapter 2

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"You must be Captain Jim Brass." "Holly. It can't be?" Brass stands up in amazement.

"I'm Hailey the new CSI here." Brass sits back down, gaining his composure. "Its your first day on the job." "Yes." After a few minutes of silence Hailey says, "Well I better leave to your work." 'I could see it in his eyes, guilt for my sister's death' she thought as she walked down the hall and towards the labs.

"Hey Warrick, how your case going?" Nick asks

"Fine and yours?"

"We got a lead. Sara found a gas tank at the scene."

"Bonfire, huh."

"Seems like it. Greg is analyzing it now." Nick says

"I'll see ya later, man, I got to check on the results."

"Later, Nick" Warrick walks into the breakroom.

Hailey walks in a few second later. "Hi. Warrick is it?"

"Yeah."

"I wonder when I will actually get a case."

"Enjoy it while it lasts." Hailey smiles.

Catherine and Sara walk into to the breakroom. "Any leads Cath?"

"None what so ever."

"Where's Grissom?"

"Last I checked he was heading to his office then he would go by the morgue. I was on my way there." Turning to Hailey she said, "And how do you like it here so far?"

"Its okay, then again that practically all I've seen of Las Vegas."

"Oh and did you take a tour of the lab."

"Yes."

"What about the morgue?"

"Not yet." Catherine's beeper goes off. "It Doc Robbins. Wanna come Warrick?" "Yeah." They leave.

"So what have you learned here so far?"

"I've learned that earplugs can come in handy every so often." Sara laughs.

"So, its safe to say that you met Greg."

"Yeah. I met him."

"He can be a little…"

"Strange?" she says, sitting down.

"Yeah. So what brought you here?" Sara asks as she takes a sit next to Hailey.

"Well… it was time for change and the opening here provided that."

"Hey Sara. I got the results on the gas tank. Take a look." Nick gives Sara the results. "You kidding right?"

"Nope. The second test Greg ran proved the presence of some type of plant."

"What does it have to do with the case?"

"Nothing or everything."

"Can I see the results?" Sara gives Hailey the results. "I think I know what it is but I need to see the sample to make sure."

"Trace has it."

Morgue

"So it wasn't a gunshot wound?" Catherine questions.

"Yes and no?" Catherine looks at him confused

"Are you saying something else caused these wounds, Doc?"

"Well it was a bullet that killed him but it wasn't fired."

"Wasn't fired? How can that be?"

"The bullet I recovered from the body is still intact. See." Doc Robbins shows Catherine and Warrick the bullet.

"How could it have enough force to kill a man and still be intact?"

"Now that's your job to figure out."

"Thanks that helps."

Trace

"Just as I thought _solanum viarum_." Hailey said as she looked through the microscope.

"And what is _solanoum viarum_?" questioned Nick.

"Its common name is tropical soda apple its native to Florida."

"Why was it found here in the tank of gas?" wondered Sara.

"That I don't know but what I do know is that it is a very dangerous plant that was discovered in 1981. Highly flammable"

"And how is it that you know about this stuff?" asked Nick.

"I majored in Botany in college."

"Really?" Sara replied as she looked at the sample.

"My parents weren't really into what they call 'plant stuff'. They were more into law enforcement. I decided to meet them half way which is why I'm here."

"Nick, Sara how's the case coming?" says Grissom as he peeks into the room.

"We got a break in the case thanks to Hailey."

"Oh really. Let's here it …Hailey."

"Well, Nick and Sara found a gas tank at the scene which according to the results had traces of a plant. The sample here is a rare plant called _solanum viarum_, the tropical soda apple which is only found in Florida."

"Good job, Hailey."

"Thanks."

"But you're not ready to be out on the scene just yet." With that he left the room.

"I don't see why I can't go out on the field. It's not like I can't handle it because I can."

"That's Grissom."

"Guess I'll have to stay here while everybody is having fun."

"Fun? Looks like we have another Sara."

"All we have to do now is figure out who at UNLV had access to this type of plant." Sara says ignoring Nick's comment. They exit the room.

Hailey is left in the room alone. She takes out a picture. It is a picture of Holly and her at their graduation ceremony.

"I miss talking to you, I miss that we never got to spend enough time together. I wish you'd never came to Las Vegas in the hopes of pleasing our parents. I blame myself for letting you go…"

"What have you got there?" Catherine replies

"Oh nothing…"

"Sure seemed like something from the look on your face." Catherine said in a motherly tone.

"It was nothing."

"I heard about the help you gave Nick and Sara on their arson."

"Yeah, I still don't understand why it was there. Strange."

"Many of our cases are."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Do know when I'll get to go out onto the field?"

"I don't know it's really up to Grissom when he think you ready."

"It's because of what happened….to my sister right? Because she wasn't ready."

"I'm sure Grissom has his reasons. Hey, I'm going on a break. Wanna come. It beats sitting here in the lab."

"Sure."

UNLV

"So you're the expert on plants."

"If you mean am I a botanist. Yes I am," replied a man in his late thirties to early forties.

"We like to know where you were from 8 to 11 p.m. last night?" questioned Nick

"I was at home with my wife and kids. Family night."

"When exactly did you leave work?" Sara asked as she noticed a plant on his desk.

"Around 6:30 p.m."

"Can I take a picture? For a friend of mine?" Sara says as she motions to the plant.

"Umm…sure."

"Okay thank you for your time," says Nick as they walk away.

"Hey Sara, why did you take a picture of that plant back there."

"Just being thorough. Maybe Hailey can identify it."


End file.
